Brown Widow spiders

[peepingsince 1868]

Trog, absolutely not true. Black widow spider bites are more dangerous i.e. deadly for the young and elderly but are extremely painful and require hospitalization for young healthy people. Many bites require a trip and stay in the intensive care unit if not treated with antivenin.

[joefutbol]

The guy you're replying to has been dead for over two years.

[peepingsince 1868]

Thanks Joe

[Fordama]

I prefer to think that he's just permanently taken to laying out in a beach chair on some Southeastern Asian beach, with cool alcoholic beverages being brought to him while a warm tropical wind blows across his face.

[shreader]

Had to/wanted to update what I found to work & not include spraying w/ Black Flag or rolling up web & stepping on them.
I still have the Brown Widow Spiders (BWS) around the house I know since I spotted a BIG ONE Thursday night.
So I went to FRYs & bought a BUG-A-SALT 2.0 (on sale) & last night I killed 6 out front, shot each 3x to make sure dead, the 1st shot (I think) stuns them then the next 2 finishes them off.
This AM I checked for bodies & spotted some that I could remember where they died at.

NTS I am totally happy using this non-toxic method of killing them, tonight on to the back yard for some BWS elimination.

[John Q. Public]

And the Bug-A-Salt is more fun than a can of Raid. I use Dr. Earth Yard and Garden spray in the yard. Says it works on spiders. It's made of a bunch of herb oils and it works pretty well for our purposes - and it makes the yard smell like an Italian deli. But it only lasts for a few weeks.

[shreader]

Correct the Bug-A-Salt is way more fun that a spray can for sure & no long pants, shoes & socks, rubber gloves & shower after spraying either.
Thank you for the suggestion John, I'll get a bottle of Dr. Earth Yard & Garden spray & test it out too. Currently I use the Ortho spray for ants, etc around the house but really need to get something organic for sure.

[John Q. Public]

Thinking maybe I'll run over to Fry's and get the Foreign Babe her early birthday present. She's the type who'd probably get a kick out of one. I've had some jacks and belts on my shopping list for months and that's probably the best place for those, so maybe it's a good excuse. One-stop shopping.

[shreader]

Last summer I bought the newer Bug-A-Salt 3.0 which after testing is about the same power but more accurate.
Last night I tested my friends advise to use Kosher salt (coarser than table salt) & found out last night I could kill Brown Widow Spiders w/ just 1 shot. @ around 9:30 PM I only saw 2 BWS, they both died w/ a single shot. Time to start the BWS removal in the back yard next.
Now if only it would kill the d@mn large grasshoppers, they are tough.

[Omar Bongo]

I prefer to think that he's just permanently taken to laying out in a beach chair on some Southeastern Asian beach, with cool alcoholic beverages being brought to him while a warm tropical wind blows across his face.

That is one of the coolest if not the coolest things I have ever read here...

[shreader]

Ya, very cool, especially next month when it gets very hot here near the coast.
--
I figured out how I will deal w/ the d@mn grasshoppers after seeing a 3" one in the bean patch.
Shoot for the eyes, blind them on 1 side at least, then crush them w/ the Bug Bopper (my invention for dealing w/ the HUGE iridescent green flying fig beetles).
Next crush them & grind them in w/ foot (or whatever) again against wherever they land, grasshoppers are very tough to kill w/o chemicals.
--
How do you other members deal w/ grasshoppers?

[John Q. Public]

They make excellent kitty toys. Except when they eat them and throw up on the rug.

The bigger problem for us is tomato worms and spider mites. And whatever that is that keeps biting me in places that aren't socially acceptable to scratch.

But I got some Dr. Earth herbal insect killer that works pretty well and it makes the yard smell like an Italian deli. Good stuff.

[John Q. Public]

Speaking of yard stuff, I was sitting on the patio yesterday when two owls chased each other across it and landed in a bush a few feet from me. I don't know if they were mating or fighting, but geez! Those things are huge when they're up close like that. Scared the $#%& out of the dog.

[ShiftyMutt]

I had a hawk swoop down into my orange tree and carry off a rat! Thwap thwap thwap… squeeeeeeel.

I truly think fleas have gone completely mutant. I don’t remember them being this incredibly hard to control. Flea remedies don’t work anymore, just weaken the already weak ones. The strong are surviving, in my experience anyway.

[shreader]

Re fleas.
About 35 years ago I was doing service work & had a job at a vacant rental tract house.
I went thru the gate & when I got in the backyard I was attacked & covered waist down w/ fleas, I freaked out & left while trying to brush them off. I got back to the shop & told the foreman about it, he called the owner & they sprayed the yards.
After that experience I was talking w/ a friend, he recommended "Brewers yeast" in my breakfast. I started doing that & ever since, fleas don't bother me anymore, to bad it doesn't work on mosquitos.
I use about 1+ TBS on my oatmeal every morning.

[ShiftyMutt]

I take garlic tablets, mainly for the health benefits but it helps with fleas, too.

My dog is an old guy (13) so I hesitate to give him flea stuff. I do however, flea comb him daily, if not twice a day, mainly now in the summer.
It’s a little gross but I get a small jug of water and pour some Ajax in it, swipe the flea comb and straight into the jug. They die quick.
That, along with vacuuming morning and evening helps to control them. But man, it didn’t used to be this bad!

[John Q. Public]

Frontline stopped working for us a couple years ago so we use Advantix on the dog now. It seems to work. Nothing seems to work on the cats, though. One of them never gets fleas, the other one always gets them so we're taking him to the vet to see if he recommends something.



(Lol. Dr. Autofill on my phone wanted to say "see if he recommends smoking.") Hey, maybe it's worth a try.

[Fordama]

Speaking of yard stuff...

Is that anything like "hand stuff"?